They Can't Afford To Be Innocent
by DaniNatureGirl313
Summary: Written to celebrate the release of "Mockingjay, Part 1".


_**AN: This song reminded me of Katniss & all she stands for. If you haven't read the book or seen the movie yet, then please, continue no further. If you have, I hope you enjoy this.**_

_**This bloody road remains a mystery.**_

_**This sudden darkness fills the air.**_

_**What are we waiting for?**_

_**Won't anybody help us?**_

_**What are we waiting for?**_

My mind was in a fog that morning, as I was led onto the platform after volunteering for my sister. I heard her screaming for me, crying and struggling as Gale dragged her off to find Mom. She would probably have cuts and scrapes on her legs for this, but I don't think she cared. That was nothing compared to what I knew I'd see soon in the arena. I couldn't believe I was doing this. But for me, there was no other choice. Prim was too young, too emotionally immature to endure what other tributes do. She couldn't handle seeing all that death and gore and hatred and violence. I won't let her. Every breath I take seems frozen in my throat as my male companion is chosen for this venture. I barely feel Peeta's hand close around mine in the customary polite shake. An ominous emotion comes over me then, like the sensing of an approaching thunderstorm on the horizon. As I gaze out at the crowd one more time before we're led away, the hopeful inner child hidden deep down inside me wishes that someone will stand up and scream, "Enough! No more of these ridiculous games! Our children matter more! We won't allow it!" But nobody does. They merely swallow whatever words they had, breathing heavy and staring at their shoes. A door closes behind Peeta and I, and our journey begins.

_**We can't afford to be innocent.**_

_**Stand up and face the enemy.**_

_**It's a "do or die" situation.**_

_**We will be invincible.**_

The training uniform actually looks good on me, if I was honest. The contrasting colors seem to reflect our situation. Dark blue is the feeling of impending doom many of the tributes share, though not all will admit to it. The light blue stripe is the more innocent times, when each of us were too young to considered for the reaping, before we had a real sense of what true terror was going to be like. And the red stripe is the blood we'll all shed in one way or another, either in injury or death. The designers did their job well. As I walk into the observance room to display my archery skills, I catch a sideways glimpse of myself in a nearby mirror. My gaze is drawn once again to the light blue stripe in my uniform, and what I feel it's symbolic for. It is true innocence, indeed, something which none of us will have when these games are over. It won't do for us to linger on that too long. No one can. Except perhaps for that sweet little girl, Rue, who seems so incredibly drawn to me. I already knew I wouldn't forget her. But several days later, when the games take her life, that idea is solidified. I know I have to be strong through this. We all do.

_**This shattered dream you cannot justify.**_

_**We're gonna scream, until we're satisfied.**_

_**What are we running for?**_

_**We've got the right to be angry.**_

_**What are we running for, when there's nowhere we can run to anymore?**_

Walking along the path back to my new home in Victor's Village, everything still seems surreal. It was just another day like any other, when the breeze suddenly kicked up in an unnatural way. Then, I see it, a hover-ship zooming determinedly over my district. Well, that's weird. I wondered if it was more peacekeepers, but I don't spend much time thinking on it. That is, until I walk into my house. Mom looked nervous, and when I caught the faint scent of roses in the air, I knew why. President Snow sits in our dining room, as condescending as ever. He blackmails me, using my family and my caring for Peeta as bait. I know he gets a kick out of watching me squirm, and I also know why.

The games have always been a subtle method of population control, one whose very idea keeps Panem in terrified submission. One victor not only means hope, but it also means that person is doomed to wallow in their own guilt and nightmares. Now that, in my case, misery has company, he can't allow that to continue. Unity, friendship, true happiness…these are all things people outside the capitol aren't supposed to have. It makes them too hard to manipulate and control. That's why President Snow hates me, why he tortures me, why he wants me dead. Peeta and I aren't just kids to him. We're symbols. Symbols last where people do not, lingering in minds forever. In his mind, I had to be eliminated.

Our lives were supposed to be peaceful after the games, whatever that means, but one vindictive monster stole that away from us. This whole Quarter Quell idea is ridiculous. Do the powers that be really think it's going to shut me up, or shut up anyone else for that matter? Anyone with eyes can see how horrible this is. But most are powerless to stop it, either in truth or by choice. Even Peeta's announcement of our fake baby isn't enough to keep us from a return trip to the arena. I knew it wouldn't be. Nowhere is safe now. A spark has been planted inside me, though I didn't realize it until this exact moment. And it's only growing brighter.

_**We can't afford to be innocent.**_

_**Stand up and face the enemy.**_

_**It's a "do or die" situation.**_

_**We will be invincible.**_

_**And with the power of conviction, there is no sacrifice.**_

_**It's a "do or die" situation.**_

_**We will be invincible.**_

I can't describe the exhilaration I feel as my two fingers leave the string of my bow, releasing the arrow and sending it sky-high. It hits the arena's force-field with a thunderous roar, sending visible pulses of energy all over the damaged screen. Lights flickered in and out, and so did my ability to stay conscious. The last thing that I remember for a while is being hauled up into a hover-ship. When I come to again, Gale is right there beside me. He seems happy and grateful to see me, and the same goes on my end. But the millisecond of joy is all too brief.

Peeta's been captured by the capitol. Oh gosh, no…who knows what Snow is planning to do to him, how he's going to be punished for simply being close to me. I'm being punished through him. They think I'll give up if my loved ones are hurt, but their efforts only serve to put more steel in my veins. If I give up now, all the pain they've endured will have been for nothing.

_**Won't anybody help us?**_

_**What are we running for, when there's nowhere, nowhere we can run to anymore?**_

I never dreamed that one little pin, given to me just the day before I was first reaped, would become so much more. Now, I truly was the bird on that pin. I _am_ the mockingjay. I look around District 13, and I see how much they need me. All of Panem needs me. Every hour, there are new reports of further unrest in the other districts. More and more people are constantly flocking to our cause. I know what we have to do, but that doesn't make it easy. Now that we've broken into the capitol's network, and Peeta has finally seen what they did to our home district, everything has gone into high-gear.

_**We can't afford to be innocent.**_

_**Stand up and face the enemy.**_

_**It's a "do or die" situation.**_

_**We will be invincible.**_

_**And with the power of conviction, there is no sacrifice.**_

_**It's a "do or die" situation.**_

_**We will be invincible.**_

I couldn't believe my ears when they told me Peeta had been rescued. I was overjoyed. I barely felt my feet touch the floor as I went to the infirmary to see him. However, I definitely felt his hands on my throat, and I remember the world around me going black. President Snow's chilling words from when we last spoke echo in my brain as I start coming back. A brace is on my neck, and I'm back on a hospital bed. I'd woken once before, but they gave me special drugs to help speed up my recovery. I'm vaguely aware of people walking in the hallway, keeping my eyes the tiniest fraction open so they don't know I'm awake. It's Cressida and Prim. My precious baby sister puts her hand against the window's glass, staring at me with concern and love in her eyes. "Come on, sweetie. Katniss needs her rest right now. Let's go find your mom, okay?" She nods, and they soon disappear together around a corner.

A few minutes later, I find the strength to stand up. Thank goodness, there are no physicians around to stop me. I'm curious as to why, until I hear a crackling sound over the loudspeakers. Oh, yeah…President Coin's speech. I don't care to stay here and listen. My mind is only focused on one person, and I need to see him now. I'm careful to walk straight with this awful brace on my neck. The window feels cool on my skin as I lean against it. Poor Peeta. Sweet, gentle, selfless Peeta. He's writhing like a mental patient on the bed, his arms extending and his wrists bound to the rails. I worry that he'll hurt himself because of this, whether it's a burn from the leather straps or a broken bone from all his struggling. That angry grimace on his face looks nearly animalistic.

Looking at him, watching how he suffers…I can't wait to watch the evil light leave Snow's eyes. I'm not a violent person at heart, but I will act like one if it means getting rid of that psychopath. I pay little attention to President Coin's words over the loudspeakers, but I do catch the end of it: "Today, the victors. Tomorrow, Panem." A cheer goes up from the crowd. No more playing around. No more propaganda or signal disruptions. This is now officially all-out war. I remember the tune I sang at the river a couple of weeks prior, and it comes back as press my lips together and whistle: "Are you, are you coming to the tree?"

_**We can't afford to be innocent.**_

_**Stand up and face the enemy.**_

_**It's a "do or die" situation. **_

_**We will be invincible.**_

_**We can't afford to be innocent.**_

_**Stand up and face the enemy.**_

_**It's a "do or die" situation.**_

_**We will be invincible.**_

_**AN: Well? How was it? Just for the record, this song was recorded by Pat Benatar for the "The Legend of Billie Jean" soundtrack. No, that is not a Michael Jackson reference. It really was a movie, & a pretty cool one, too, from what I've heard. Anyway...only positivity in that cute little box, okay? Thanks.**_


End file.
